[pqdad]

As I say in the title of this thread, I really love my new Clarity but I am wondering what other people have found that make them say..."I wish the car did (or didn't) do this...". For me I guess right now my least favorite thing is the fact that IF I plug in my phone in the normal usb connection it AUTOMATICALLY takes me to Android Auto and starts playing Pandora/Google Music/etc. Even though at the time I may want to listen to Sirius XM or FM or maybe even AM!

I will also say that some things I see reviewers really ding the car on I either don't care about or are actually a feature to me!

 

[Cruiter]

I've had mine for nearly 4 months and about 3300 miles now. I'm twice retired now with 20 years in the US Navy and 20 years in auto retail here in the Atlanta market. I've owned north of 200 cars lifetime including two Lexus hybrids previous to this.

When Toyota came out with it's 1st PHEV I took a sniff but while I thought it was well made an on the right track, It was still a compact hatchback and not big enough for me to consider it the 'main' vehicle. When Honda announced the Clarity I did some research. Honda has committed to this long term with new models that will be coming out nearly every year. By the year 2030 they plan to have 70% of their vehicle production PHEV so I'd say their commitment is strong.

I'm not sure why some features such as rear cross alert and sunroof are not 'currently' available on this car but I suspect it's trying to keep the price down for introduction. Other than that, I think the car has almost everything anyone would need. I plan to keep this one for quite awhile unless it develops some bad gremlins.

For my commitment, I've already installed and permitted a level II charger in the garage. And it's fun to find parking places for a free drink of '240' while out and about such as Amazon Whole Foods. For those not aware, most of their stores now have two or more parking spaces with free Level II chargers to use while you're inside.

I'll just say I hope future models have features such as 'rear cross alert', ventilated front seats, and 'auto folding' rear view mirrors. Having had them on in the past, they are something "I whished they would have done". But missing those was not enough to make them a deal breaker.

Performance wise, I think the closest competition is the Chevy Volt. To be in the same general price range, it seems 'cheap' in comparison to the Clarity.

More manufacturers will have PHEV's next year and going forward. Even M/B is coming out with a SUV. Subaru will be coming out with one in it's smaller SUV. All the advantages of daily trips in the city on battery but still able to travel cross country on gas. A 'win / win concept.

Just a parting note; I think this car is more Acura than Honda. Loving mine.

As I say in the title of this thread, I really love my new Clarity but I am wondering what other people have found that make them say..."I wish the car did (or didn't) do this...". For me I guess right now my least favorite thing is the fact that IF I plug in my phone in the normal usb connection it AUTOMATICALLY takes me to Android Auto and starts playing Pandora/Google Music/etc. Even though at the time I may want to listen to Sirius XM or FM or maybe even AM!

I will also say that some things I see reviewers really ding the car on I either don't care about or are actually a feature to me!

 

[pqdad]

Yeah would definitely trade in the heated seats for ventilated seats tho. Never had a car with rear crossing alert but I can easily see how that would be a very nice feature.

 

[firsthonda]

It is perfect except for the touch screen controls for the radio. When I try to rewind my fat fingers usually get in the way. I rather have to switch to another screen to rewind the radio or I use a rubber stylus that I have hanging from the mirror. I listen to talk shows a lot and there are many times I miss what was said and been to rewind and re-listen to what I missed. Using the stylus helps but the controls should be redesigned.

 

[pqdad]

Totally agree about the heated vs ventilated seats! In Southern Calif. if you want heated seats all you have to do is leave it in the sun and viola! ;-)

 

[nhguy78]

I find it annoying that front seat passenger can not use navigation when vehicle is not in 'park.' You'd think there'd be an override when the passenger airbag sensor is on to use the navigation.

#2 heated steering wheel

 

[stanigu]

I find the AI in the car is pretty dumb. It feels like it's few generations back...Just frustrating to use, so I use Siri instead.

 

[pqdad]

yeah I always assume any software interface made by the auto manufacturer is crap! That is why Android Auto and Apple Car will end up ruling the day in cars. Even read an article about Google and Nissan/Renault/Mitsubishi coming up with a new more tightly integrated software!

 

[ClarityNC]

1. I wish I could remote start the climate control without it breaking SXM. Honda has said this is a software defect but they have no fix yet. I have to restart the center stack to resolve.
2. I wish my HV range was sane. When I have a full tank, it says I have 1000 miles of range remaining. I've heard that Honda has a software update that can fix this? Can anyone confirm?

 

[Walt10410]

The fix is SB 18-069 and can be found in thread HV Range. Good luck

 

[pqdad]

How do you get a software update to the car?

 

[Cruiter]

Same thing for me, but I found an easy switch back by using the 'radio tuning' ring on the left side of the steering wheel to switch the source back to what you had tuned it to previously. Try it and you may find not so annoying.

As I say in the title of this thread, I really love my new Clarity but I am wondering what other people have found that make them say..."I wish the car did (or didn't) do this...". For me I guess right now my least favorite thing is the fact that IF I plug in my phone in the normal usb connection it AUTOMATICALLY takes me to Android Auto and starts playing Pandora/Google Music/etc. Even though at the time I may want to listen to Sirius XM or FM or maybe even AM!

I will also say that some things I see reviewers really ding the car on I either don't care about or are actually a feature to me!

 

[TomMos]

I've complained to my dealer for months only to get a reply "It's a software problem, Honda is working on it". Finally last week after calling the service manager they told me to bring it in. It's now fixed. Don't know how accurate it is but we'll see in a few weeks.

 

[pqdad]

Same thing for me, but I found an easy switch back by using the 'radio tuning' ring on the left side of the steering wheel to switch the source back to what you had tuned it to previously. Try it and you may find not so annoying.

Worked like a charm! awesome! Now I have to find something else to get irked about! LOL :wink:

 

[Rangerpilot]

The biggest concern I have is the limitation in cold weather. There is a factory fail safe that prevents the car from starting if the battery temp drops below -20. I realize this is not an issue for 95% of the folks out there but if I cant find a work around, such as an add on battery heater it will shut down my use of the car for two months here in northern Minnesota...

 

[AKE]

Totally agree about the heated vs ventilated seats! In Southern Calif. if you want heated seats all you have to do is leave it in the sun and viola! ;-)

I live in Alberta, Canada and we can expect temperatures below freezing from November through March. My wife and I love the heated seats in our 2018 Clarity. No need to have the heater on too high with this feature. On the downside the battery fully charged in the summer will go 80 km, now in cooler weather it goes about 50km. It is still OK as we live in a small city.. It is our first year with this car, we love it. It will be interesting to see how it works at -20.C. In our area any car will not start well when it is colder than -25C unless it has a good battery and/or plugged in overnight. We are lucky to have an attached garage which is usually above freezing.